BANGKOK: Thailand plans to step up a campaign to attract high-spending European tourists as the Chinese, the dominant group of holidaymakers to the Southeast Asian country before the Covid pandemic, shun it on safety concerns.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is working with major airlines to increase the frequency of flights to European cities and launch new routes to build on the increase in tourist arrivals seen in the first quarter, the state-run agency said in a statement on Friday (April 25).
The strategy has seen arrivals jump more than 20% from the UK, France and Italy so far this year, while visitors from Germany, Spain and the Netherlands increased by 10% or more, it said.
"Forward bookings from long-haul markets remain strong for April to June, with continued momentum expected from the UK, Italy, Spain, Israel, and Russia,” the agency said.
The surge in visitors from the long-haul markets, who tend to stay longer and spend more, is in sharp contrast to the decline in tourist arrivals from China.
The ability to pull more non-Chinese travellers will be key to Thailand meeting its goal of 39 million visitors and 2.23 trillion baht ($66.5 billion) in revenue this year, according to the agency.
Safety concerns triggered by a series of high-profile human trafficking to scam centers in Myanmar via Thailand and a massive earthquake that shook buildings in Bangkok last month led to a decline in Chinese arrivals.
The Chinese tourist arrivals plunged 34% to 53,863 in the week ending April 20, taking the cumulative number this year through April 20 to 1.5 million.
Thai officials now seeing risk to the goal of attracting as many as 9 million tourists this year from its neighbour.
Japan has beaten Thailand as the top destination for Chinese travelers even as Beijing is encouraging local travel to boost the economy.
Thai authorities are betting on an improved tourism performance to cushion the blow to its economy from a threatened 36% US tariff on its goods.
The tourism industry employs one in five of the country’s workforce and accounts for about 13% of gross domestic product.
Thailand, popular among tourists for its tropical climate, pristine beaches, a vibrant nightlife and Buddhist temples, has welcomed 11.4 million tourists since the start of the year, little changed from a year earlier, according to latest official data.
Tourism promotions centred around health and wellness, sports and entertainment will be organised to bring in more visitors during the lean season, the authority said.
"We’re not just chasing numbers - we’re shaping the future of Thai tourism,” Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority said. - Bloomberg
